Pearl necklace makes $1.3M
Published April 30th, 2008
An antique necklace made up of 1,888 pearls, that once belonged to Umm Kulthoum was sold Tuesday for more than $1 million at an auction in Dubai.
Christie’s Dubai branch said an anonymous buyer from the Middle East bought the nine-strand necklace that belonged to the singer for $1,385,000 – more than 10 times the price expected by Christie’s.
The necklace was one of the few valuables the Egyptian-born singer kept. As a champion of many humanitarian causes and caretaker of the poor, she gave most of her wealth away during her lifetime.
The diva’s descendants had offered the necklace for sale. It was Umm Kulthoum’s favorite piece of jewelry, one she wore only for special occasions and never while performing on stage.
Umm Kulthoum was famous for her emotive songs that continue to transfix audiences across the Arab world, 30 years after her death. She was also adored by ordinary people and heads of state alike both for her voice and her pursuit of humanitarian causes across the Middle East.
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